Obliviate
by Infernal Racket
Summary: Narcissa holds unnatural and disturbing feelings for her sister, feelings she does not understand. Is the only way out to completely clear Bellatrix's mind of any memories regarding her own existence? Will she go through with it, and more importantly, will she stick to her decision? Implied Narcissa/Bellatrix. Contains mature themes. M for safety and future chapters.


**Hola! A quick note to declare, once again, that I own nothing, it all belongs to the amazing human being that is JK Rowling. In a way this was co-written; the idea was taken from an ongoing roleplay with my Bellatrix. That is right, I claim her as my own. Without her this would not exist. This may be continued, I am yet to decide. Contains mature themes such as self-harm, please go back now if you are fainthearted. I love reviews, good or bad, so don't hesitate to leave one!**

* * *

"Close your eyes." Narcissa pleaded quite desperately with her sister. Bellatrix sat crossed-legged before her at the head of the double bed.

"Are you going to kiss me again?" Bellatrix asked airily with a curious edge to her voice.

"No, I shan't kiss you again, Bellatrix, I promise."

"Oh…" Bellatrix's full red lips took the shape of an 'O' to show her disappointment.

Narcissa felt a twinge of guilt at the disappointment in her sister's dark eyes; it only made what she was about to do more difficult.

"Please, just close them. I want to play a new game." Narcissa decided to take a natural approach. Despite being grown women, the pair often partook in silly little games; dress up, snuggles and 'psychic' – a game in which the sister's told each other's futures in jest.

"Fine," Bellatrix closed her eyes with a pout, "What does this game involve then?"

Another twinge of guilt struck Narcissa; her sister trusted her so readily.

"It is ever so easy; all you have to do is keep your eyes closed." Using her voice to hide her shuffling about, Narcissa reached into the pocket of her robes and withdrew her wand.

"It sounds boring to me." Bellatrix whined. She was becoming impatient. Narcissa, knowing it was now or never, raised her wand to her sister's temple and mumbled one word.

"Obliviate"

One word was all it took. One word and any recollection Bellatrix had of her sister slowly vanished from her mind. The unnatural and disturbing feelings Narcissa had developed for her sister over the past few months were too much to handle. A single tear fell from Narcissa's impossibly sad eyes as she climbed off of the bed. Slipping silently from the master bedroom of the manor that afternoon was the hardest thing Narcissa had ever found herself having to do.

* * *

Nursing her headache and with the cat clutched against her chest, Bellatrix wandered barefooted through the house, trying to piece together what seemed to her like distorted fragments of her mind. Reaching a conclusion seemed impossible. Why exactly was she there alone when it was certainly not her own home? Something was definitely not right.

The ache would not go away, Bellatrix screeched and tugged at her curls, growing more frightened and confused by the minute. She perched on the edge of the couch in the sitting room and rocked from side to side, whispering to herself in an attempt to soothe the unease, something she recalled having to do as a child. Something which did not make sense to her, but then again, not much made sense now. It hurt, she hurt.

Her heart pounded against the satin of her nightdress as her dark eyes examined the somewhat alien yet strangely familiar room. Somehow, she recalled eating at the table, but that is the extent to which her memory reached. Why is it she remembered eating alone? Was this her house? No, it could not be. She remembered a darker, colder place consisting of endless winding corridors. That was home. Lestrange manor. This was not home.

This was new, but in a way old. Why did the softness of the carpet against the rough skin of her feet feel so very familiar to her? She clutched a cushion to herself, pressing it against her stomach. Ooh, now that was better. That was familiar, that was nice...

It was not enough. Her head still pounded, her chest continued to throb. What else could she do? Wait, the bag on the floor, that was hers. She was sure of it, so casually tossed aside in the same manner in which she treated most of her possessions. She didn't remember how she came to be in the house, but she did remember what she would do when she was much younger, when fate and the world had been cruel and her dear Rodolphus was nowhere to be found. With a small whimper so uncharacteristic of the Bellatrix Lestrange she would want the world to see, she reached a shaking hand into the bag and searched for the cold, metallic comfort of her dagger.

Narcissa kicked open the front door with the tip of her boot. It had been ajar as she had left it in her hysterical hurry to escape the house previously. She edged her way carefully through the hall; terrified regarding the state she may find her sister in. "Hello?" she called out.

Bellatrix yelped in surprise and her bloodied dagger dropped to the floor with a small bang. Instinctively, she crossed her legs with a wince and wrapped her arms protectively around herself, terrified as to who was approaching, yet curious as to whether she would be encountering the resident of the house. "Mm?" she replied.

The vulnerable yelp sent a shiver down Narcissa's spine, but the uneasy sound was nothing compared to the gut-wrenching sight her eyes were met with as she cautiously entered the sitting room. "Bellatrix!"

At the sight of the stranger, Bellatrix's hand darted to where her pocket would be, but she realised with an internal curse that in her unrest she had left her wand upstairs. The only thing left seemed to be reasoning with this woman. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?!"

Narcissa knew full well her sister had no recollection of her, yet she began pleading with her anyway. Her voice was strained and desperate as she took a cautious step towards her. "Bella it is me, Narcissa, what are you doing? Oh Merlin what are you doing..."

As the woman stepped closer, Bellatrix jumped up to her feet and sprung on to the couch, straining slightly as she balanced onto it. Bellatrix attempted to ward her off, but she knew how pathetic she must have looked as droplets of blood began to roll down her ivory white legs. "This is your house, isn't it? Why the fuck am I here?!"

"Oh what have you done..." Narcissa shook her head continuously; trying to clear her mind, trying to deny the sight before her, and in general desperation. "Get down from there, please..." Whilst attempting to negotiate, her hand slid ever so slowly to the pocket of her robes in search of her wand.

"Stay away..." Bellatrix began to shake more than ever, both from the pain and the state of confusion that the past hour had left her in. This lady's tone was ever so comforting, but she was new and strange and Bellatrix didn't like new. She didn't like change at all. "Don't you dare fucking pull your wand out on me, don't you dare..."

Narcissa offered an outstretched arm in a way of showing Bellatrix she meant no harm, yet the other slid into her pocket and retracted her wand despite her sisters warning. "Bellatrix! Draco, Lucius, Hogwarts, summer, the lake, the beach…" Narcissa attempted to name anything she could that may have proved to Bellatrix she was no stranger whilst she racked her brain for the counter charm to the memory spell she had performed on her an hour or so ago.

Bellatrix leaned back, away from the arm of the stranger. She was yet to decide whether she posed a threat, but she knew that she would not allow herself to be touched. Why did she know her name? With a wince, Bellatrix blinked at the pretty blonde woman and tried to make sense of what she had said. "Me, Lucius, my nephew, summer?"

Narcissa nodded eagerly at the small sign of progress. "I am your sister. I am Narcissa. I shan't hurt you. I promise." Narcissa spoke as soothingly as possible as she took yet another slow step closer. If she was to reverse the charm; she would need Bellatrix as calm as possible. "Why don't you come down and I can explain?"

Bellatrix fiercely shook her head and her dark curls bounced. "No, I only have one sister, Andromeda, and she hates me. I saw her but fuck she hates me and..." Almost defeated, she dropped down to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "And I don't know why I'm here. Help me, it hurts..."

As Bellatrix surrendered, Narcissa wasted no time in diving to her knees in front of her sister. "I shall make it better, I shall make it stop hurting…" Narcissa promised, wiping her tear-streaked, pale cheek with the back of her hand. After taking a deep breath in preparation, she raised her wand and whispered the counter charm.

As the counter charm was uttered, Bellatrix's whimpering ceased and was replaced by a high pitched scream as she clutched at her head, now pounding relentlessly as scores of memories were unveiled once more to her. Her body shuddered as she forced her dark eyes shut in an attempt to stop the pain. Eventually the agony faded away into a dull ache, leaving the witch curled up and sniffing pitifully on the blood-stained cushion she had not long ago clung to for help.

Narcissa's face drained of any little colour that might have been there and the faded high pitched screams echoed disturbingly through her ears. "Bellatrix, Bella..." Narcissa's slim hand moved to Bellatix's shaking shoulder; she needed her to sit up, to see the familiar dark eyes, to know she was still _her_ Bellatrix.

At the touch, Bellatrix's head suddenly lifted upwards, and she searched before her, breathing heavily, until her eyes met the most familiar pools of blue she could ever have hoped to see. Her body relaxed ever so slightly. It was her, it was her sister. She was back. "Cissy..."

The look of recognition shared between the two was enough to tell Narcissa it would be okay. Deciding an explanation could wait, Narcissa quickly hitched Bellatrix's bloody skirt above her knees. The crimson trail over her otherwise perfect porcelain legs was a sight Narcissa could not stand any longer; she began to look for the source of the bleeding.

Bellatrix's shaking fingers traced the cuts she had made upon her upper thigh, already regretting such an act. That was something old, young foolish Bellatrix would do. Not her, she was too happy to do such a thing. "Cissy, I don't like the memory game much..."

Narcissa's eyes, darker than usual with worry, darted over the fresh cuts. She gently pushed Bella's hand away and began tracing her wand over the damage, healing it slowly but gradually. "We shall never play it again, I promise..."

"Let's play healers and patients instead..." Bellatrix nodded contentedly and lay back with exhaustion. "I like this game much more."

"Healers and patients is good, healers and patients is safe..." Narcissa mumbled in agreement as the last of the cuts healed. Also exhausted, she rested her forehead, damp with sweat, on Bella's knee.  
Bellatrix reached out a trembling hand and gently stroked her sister's hair, feeling more and more relaxed by the minute. "Thank you Cissy..."

Narcissa felt guiltier than ever; Bellatrix should not have been thanking her, she got them both into this horrifying mess in the first place. "You are safe now..." Narcissa heaved herself up from the floor.

"You came back..." Tears formed in the corners of Bellatrix's eyes as her sister stood. "Cissy, you're back…"

"I should never have left." Once up, Narcissa lowered herself onto the sofa right beside Bellatrix.  
Bellatrix pulled her weary body up into a sitting position and rested her head on Narcissa's shoulder. "No, but you're here now."

Narcissa allowed her own head to drop, resting it gently atop Bella's. Her fingertips traced the faint scars on her thigh, willing them not to be real.

"Cissy, I'm sorry..." Bellatrix's hand clasped her sister's atop her thigh and she gave it a gentle squeeze. "I don't do that anymore, honest I don't..."

Narcissa swallowed hard, it hurt her enough just to see her sister with something so simple as the flu; this was heart-breaking. "Do you promise?"

"I promise." Bellatrix replied.


End file.
